After the cast list for “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” was released recently, the drama department’s tech crew began gearing up to build sets and cue the lights.

“The story is set in Oregon Territory in 1850, so the look is very specific,” director Maureen Fallon said about the set.

The “techies” and Fallon collaborate to create the set. After reading the script, they get an idea for how they want their story to look. Keeping in mind that the set pieces need to be light weight and can be used in a variety of scenes.

“Since our stage is so small and we have 60 cast members, space is definitely an issue,” Fallon said. “Our biggest problem here is that we have a very small stage, no fly-system, no wing space or storage.”

Another challenge the tech crew faces is timing the technical components of the show.

Junior Callie Heuser said for each show they do there are “different actors, different scenes and different stuff to memorize, like mic changes that you have to be prepared for.”

Fallon added that making sure all the lights, sound and stage props work in unison with the actors is the toughest part of directing the tech crew.

To get these parts of the show to coordinate with what the actors are doing on stage, the techies rehearse like the actors, relying on cues and direction.

“It’s a challenge,” Heuser said. “We get to dress in black and act like ninjas.”

But working on the tech crew gives students such as Heuser an opportunity to do something different.

“I get to do stuff I normally don’t get to do,” Heuser said.

Since there’s no wood shop on campus, tech crew members get to build things they usually wouldn’t be able to.

“It’s not like I’m going to go home and be like, I’m going build a wall,” Heuser said.

By Emily Dubec-Hunter